


Turning of The Tides

by she_who_the_river_could_not_hold



Series: The 100 Chopped: Fic Challenge [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, I didn't tag Bellarke since it's not really about them, Takes place primarily in Episode 5: Human Trials, but we got some lil vibes of them as a back part of the story, canon divergent: season two, which means it also features THE bellarke hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 23:30:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20938586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold/pseuds/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold
Summary: So much of Clarke’s life since landing on Earth has not gone according to plan. Most recently? Being captured by the Mountain and not being able to rescue her friends to escape with her. Least planned of all though is the unlikely partnership she forms with Anya kom Trikru. Grounder Princess versus Sky People Princess. They form a tentative alliance after proving themselves to each other, but then that's when things continue to derail. When Anya is shot, Clarke has to scramble to keep their tentative truce alive (as well as Anya), so that they can take on the mountain.





	Turning of The Tides

**Author's Note:**

> Happy The 100: Chopped! Here we go with round one. There were a lot of paths I felt like exploring with the themes this year, but I really like the direction I ended up going. If you haven’t seen the original prompt, this round’s tropes are:
> 
> 1\. Canon Divergent  
2\. Somebody lives… or somebody dies  
3\. Protectiveness  
4\. Sunsets  
5\. A dichotomy
> 
> Once the authors are revealed, definitely check back for a moodboard link. Thanks for reading!

The scope of the new structure for her people was gargantuan and had towered above them, disappearing into the night sky as conglomeration of metal and lights. It had been overwhelming and exciting, an honest “I don’t know” slipping from her mouth when Anya asked her how many there were. The night sky had felt oppressive after hours of stumbling through undergrowth and Clarke’s skin nearly burned where the mud had dried against her skin. 

It had been so long since she had felt hope, that as Anya walked away she barely allowed herself to indulge in the swell of it within her.

But it had only taken one gunshot to strike through that feeling.

It was in slow-motion that Clarke watched as Anya dropped, clutching her leg with a cry. She was fairly certain she yelled the woman’s name, stuttering forward as she ran towards her. 

A second shot split the air.

Hot, searing pain struck the edge of Clarke’s arm and she bit back another cry. Anya was more important. She was the  _ most _ important. From there it was all jumbled as she struggled to stop the bleeding. It was thankfully not a kill shot, though it wouldn’t be impossible for her to still bleed out. Clarke pushed down the urge to sob at how unfair Earth continued to be.

“Anya, you’re okay. You’re okay,” she frantically said, pressing her hands against the wound and watching blood pool around her fingers. 

She slowly became aware of shouts around them. Flashing lights dancing on the ground. 

_ Blood. So much blood _ .

Clarke was still saying something, she could feel her mouth moving but she only had eyes on the Grounder woman. If only they could get more time, she knew that they could save her.

People – guards – were surrounding them and Clarke struggled to her feet to confront them, hoping against hope that they could see through the muck on her face.

A resounding slam of the butt of a gun to her head sent an explosion of pain through her, giving her only seconds to process it before the world went dark. 

* * *

Watching her mom in front of her, after having spent so much time mourning her, was the last thing Clarke had expected. Right after being shot by her own people. 

Her mom was saying something to her but Clarke’s mind was swimming as she tried to process what had happened. Their arrival, the gunshots. The size of this place and her mom’s very own existence after that explosion of the ship. Which it turned out, she hadn’t been on.

Her head still feeling woozy and her cuts stinging, Clarke watched as a tall blonde woman stormed into the room. 

“Is she alright?” 

“She will be. Thank you, Major Bryne.” Somewhere in the back of her mind, Clarke noted the curtness of Abby’s voice. 

The woman sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. We had no idea who she was.”

If Clarke had the strength, she would have laughed out loud. Shooting first asking later had been a foreign concept to them on the Drop Ship. You couldn’t afford to waste bullets by shooting at shadowed figures, even as much as you might have wanted to. It was an absurd position to take, especially if her people had ever even considered one of their own would be coming back. It was foolish, and it had nearly gotten her  _ and _ Anya killed. 

“Where have you been?” asked Byrne, her gaze suddenly narrowing in on Clarke. 

An interrogation. Great. Just what she needed right now while her limbs felt aflame and her head was pounding. She also desperately wanted to wipe off all of this dirt and blood so her skin would stop being so itchy.

“Mount Weather,” she replied. 

“The Grounders took you to Mount Weather?” Major Byrne’s voice was so confused that it threw Clarke for a moment, at the resolute idea that it had been the Grounders that had taken her and her fellow teens. But she supposed that there would have been no way for them to know otherwise.

“No, the Mountain Men.”  _ Her mom hoisted her up. _ “We have to get them out now.” 

“We’re not doing this now,” Abby cut in. 

Clarke didn’t have any patience for this. Now that she was sitting somewhat upright, her thoughts felt clearer. She couldn’t shake the ringing sound of gunfire. How Anya had collapsed in front of her, betrayed by the people that Clarke had just promised would help. They had to do this now, they couldn’t delay any further. They’d almost killed Anya.

“How long have I been asleep?” 

“About 10 hours,” Abby said affectionately, rubbing her knee gently.

Clarke nearly choked as she let out a noise of distress. Who knew how many of their people, or the Grounders, had been hurt during that time? How could she have wasted so much of it? She looked around her frantically, ignoring her mom’s concerned expression.

“Where’s Anya?”

“Clarke, slow down. Hey, it’s too soon,” admonished Abby. She didn’t listen, pushing up against her mom’s grip to get herself into a more upright position. She’d been through a lot, but she’d been on Earth longer. She knew when someone  _ really _ needed to rest. 

“Mom, we need to move against Mount Weather. Last night I was able to convince Anya to agree to a deal so that she can go back to their Commander and get her to talk with us so that we team up together. There isn’t time to waste.” Clarke couldn’t stop the exasperation from creeping into her voice. “How many guards are here? Where are Bellamy and Finn?”

She watched as Major Byrne stepped further into the room and her mom let out an exasperated sigh. It was almost patronizing the way Abby was handling her right now.

“Clarke, please. You need to rest.”

“And the Grounder is in a cell, as per protocol,” interjected Major Byrne. The look Abby directed towards the guardswoman clearly showed that Clarke wasn’t supposed to know that. 

“You can’t just let her sit in a cell, she’s been shot,” she spat out, swinging her legs over the side of the cot she was on. “What the hell have you been doing this whole time?”

“I’ll get to her soon. I have to focus on you first,” Abby said quickly, her arm still rubbing comfortingly along Clarke’s arm. “Soon Kane will be back from meeting with the Grounders and we can figure out a game plan then.”

“I told you the Grounders didn’t have us. Anya is here to help make peace so that we can go up against the Mountain Men.” It felt like she was going in circles. “If we don’t treat her, then it will be for nothing. They’ll never be on our side if we let her bleed out. Even just get an infection.”

“And what has she ever done for you?” Byrne rebutted. 

Clarke swallowed hard at that. She hadn’t told them about the fight they had exchanged on the way over here. The struggle to get Anya here to the point of drugging her. No, Anya never had done much for Clarke in most ways. They certainly had a contentious history.

But she had been there in the tunnel with the Reapers.

She had chosen to save Clarke’s life and that internal instinct was what Clarke was going to rely on for this. It had to be enough, no matter the motivation. She was worth something alive.

“She saved me, she helped me get out of the Mountain.”  _ She left out the part that it was in exchange for her own people _ . “Yes, we have had our differences. But Mount Weather… it’s so much worse than anything the Grounders could do to us. Their Commander was her second, she’ll be able to get us an audience. This treaty is vital.”

When they continued to just stare at her, Clarke lost her patience. 

“I told her that our people would help, why is this not important to you?”

“Of course it’s important, Clarke. As soon as you’re done resting, you can share what you know about everything and we’ll make the next move. But for now, you need to stay here and recuperate. I don’t want you getting overwhelmed.”

The overly maternal voice from her mom gave her the final strength to push herself out of the bed. She was, of course, ecstatic to know that not only this many of her people were alive but so was her mom after believing she was dead. But she wouldn’t be able to ignore the knowledge that she now knew about her mom’s involvement with her dad’s death. She also had no interest in being treated like a child.

“I don’t need to rest, I’m fine. And I don’t need you to protect me.”

“You can’t expect us to put the needs of a Grounder over one of our own,” Byrne said as Clarke pulled on a pair of pants. 

“Major Byrne, may I ask why you’re here?” Abby snapped, as if sensing the upcoming argument between her daughter and the woman. 

“I came to tell you that there’s movement. In the north woods.” With that, Major Byrne’s voice was back to a clipped, professional tone. 

“Grounders?”

“I don’t think so.” A small smile quirked up on her lips.

The flames of anger in Clarke began to simmer down, a bubble of hope returning to her. With the grime and blood wiped off of her face, just a few scars left to remind her of what she had gone through, she was beginning to feel more like herself. She just had to get back into a rhythm of leading again.

So she bit back more retorts to the major and followed her mom outside of the tent, the new day’s air wash over her.

She’d be lying to say she missed the Drop Ship. But she’d also be lying if she didn’t admit to herself that the idea of running away from everything and living in the woods was tempting. 

Glancing to her right, she saw a splash of red before Raven’s face came into focus. 

It had felt like a lifetime and immediately the tension that she’d been holding, feeling so isolated, lifted as she let out a breathless greeting.

Raven’s face split into a huge grin, hoisting herself up with the use of a cane.

“I’ve been waiting here all night,” she explained excitedly, returning Clarke’s embrace. “Abby said you needed sleep.” 

Clarke shrugged noncommittally as the two pulled away from each other, her eyes flitting down and noting the brace that encased Raven’s lower left leg. 

“Raven, I––”

“Sucks, but I’m dealing with it,” Raven interrupted with a crooked grin, a brave face that Clarke knew only she could make in the face of it. 

“Care to explain why the Grounder Princess is here?” Raven arched an eyebrow. “I thought I saw her skulking about just a moment ago with a couple of the guards.” 

“It’s––complicated. I’ll fill you in later. But she’s here peacefully, I don’t think we have to worry about waking up to her slitting our throats,” Clarke joked grimly. 

“Well color me intrigued,” the dark-haired girl muttered. “You keep impressing me with your negotiation skills, Griffin.”

Clarke would have responded, but the sound of a guard shouting to open the gates distracted her. Electric buzzing and the heavy shifting of metal against metal echoed in the wooded area and her head spun to look. 

There were structures and people in her way but she watched as a familiar figure came into view, passing off his gun willingly to a guard. 

“Bellamy,” she breathed out, more relief flooding her. 

She glanced back at Raven, stuttering out what she wasn’t sure was an apology or an explanation. Raven gave a half-shrug and urged her to go ahead, telling her she would catch up. And it was all Clarke needed to hear. 

She ran forward, not caring how she looked. People dodged out of her way as she raced towards Bellamy, who had just finished speaking with her mom. Octavia stood beside him, but she only had eyes for one person. A person who she had left out of the Drop Ship all of those days ago but was standing in front of her, very much alive. 

Earth took and took and took, but sometimes it also gave back.

He hadn’t even completely realized she was there, only looking up as she collided into him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she smiled into the warmth of his body. Feeling his heartbeat, his muscles moving under his skin, was something she had barely allowed herself to believe would happen again. Even with her mom telling her that Finn and Bellamy had made it, she still couldn’t fight the shock and excitement as seeing her co-leader alive again.

There was a moment’s pause as Bellamy seemed to register it was her before she felt his arms tightly grasp on her, pulling her in even closer. She could feel him nose into her hair as he hugged her back and he let out almost a laugh of relief. From somewhere beside them, she heard Octavia make a comment about never thinking she’d see this. She would have had some sort of comeback if she wasn’t so happy to be in Bellamy’s arms.

Eventually they had to pull apart, a piece of her hair caught on his face before dropping back down. She was pretty sure they had equal expressions of wonder on their faces. 

She took time to hug Octavia then as well, as memories of their first day together flitted through her mind. How they had grown after all of that. 

Raven joined them and she relayed the news about being the only one of their people to make it out. Everyone’s expressions dropped and she felt her own shoulders sag too. 

She watched then as Bellamy’s eyes then drifted behind her. He drew himself up taller, his expression turning into a frown. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Anya hovering back away from them while she watched the reunion. Abby was now beside her, a first aid kit in hand. Good, so she had finally listened to Clarke. 

“What is she doing here?” While skeptical, Bellamy’s voice didn’t quite hold the anger that the other Sky People had. But it was almost there, lurking behind his words.

“It’s a long story,” Clarke replied. “The basic idea is that we need the Grounders to work with us to defeat the Mountain Men. I can explain more when we’re not surrounded by others.”

“I think it’s good that she’s here,” Octavia cut in. “Lincoln…” Her voice trailed off and Clarke’s stomach turned in on itself. 

“Lincoln always wanted us to work together,” was all Octavia was able to say. Clarke took in the new braids that were in the younger girl’s hair and the pain that was in her eyes, jaw clenched so similarly to her brother’s. There was more to this that she didn’t know.

Bellamy and Raven nodded mutely. 

“Where’s Finn?” Clarke asked, trying to distract them from staring at Anya for too long. There were enough people doing that already, she didn’t need them to add to it. Anya evoked the idea of a cornered cat and she’d like to not have her lash out before she’d agreed to keep her promise, even after getting shot.

Bellamy’s eyes widened in almost a sense of panic and suddenly Clarke’s veins turned to ice. She already so much going on right now and she had a feeling that what he was about to say next wasn’t going to help anything.

“Looking for you.”

* * *

Anger spilled throughout Clarke as she stared down her mom in the hallway. Since the arrival of Bellamy, the day had spent in a mixture of medical and meetings. She had told them everything they needed to know about the Mountain. All of the kids still trapped there, the inner workings. The rungs of leadership and what was to come. The Council had then shooed her out to plan, blocking her out of the conversation. Leaving her to pace the hallways with Bellamy.

And now this?

“What? No! You can’t just cut them loose.” 

“Sweetheart, we don’t have the manpower to send out two rescue missions and protect our camp.” 

Her mom’s tone send shivers of rage across her skin. Behind her, Clarke could hear Bellamy let out an angry huff, as well.

“Mom, they’re in trouble. They’re either gonna get killed or make things worse with the Grounders who we need to get our people out of Mount Weather. Anya will be on our side, but not if they fuck this up. We don’t know what could happen.”

Her mom’s eyes flashed and Clarke felt like she was a little girl again, getting reprimanded. “I know you feel this is unfair, but our priority has to be with Chancellor Kane if there is any hope for peace.”

“We have a chance for peace! Which we almost lost because your men almost killed the only Grounder so far who has agreed to help us. She’s our only hope and we have to move forward, we can’t let her sit here as a prisoner, while also abandoning two of our own,” Clarke snapped back. She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation.

“I’m sorry,” Abby responded, not remotely sounding sorry as tired as her voice became. “The decision’s been made. Anya will wait here until further notice and we will only send out one rescue mission. I won’t repeat myself.” 

“You’re sorry?” Bellamy’s voice boomed through the hallway as he interrupted Abby walking away. “Finn and Murphy are out there looking for your daughter with guns you gave us. Your daughter, who also brought back someone that can actually help us, who was blindly shot at under Council protocol. She could have died and Clarke could have as well.”

Abby’s jaw tightened as Bellamy stalked forward, a tension building in the room. The reminders were a slap in the face no matter which way you approached it. 

“And now she’s home, you’re going to just ignore Anya and a solution, as well as abandon your own people?” Bellamy continued on. 

Clarke’s gaze slid to her mom who couldn’t look either of them in the eye. She hadn’t been prepared for Clarke to be in this position, she realized. She had thought that she was going to be getting her little girl back, the old Princess of the Ark. The old Clarke would have simply nodded along to what her mom was saying, taking her word as the right one. That was how it had always been. But the contrast between herself on the Ark versus the ground was becoming startling clear to both Griffin women. 

She didn’t know why her mom hadn’t expected her to become the one to take charge. As if her upbringing wouldn’t have given her the personality or skills to help lead. But she hadn’t and now they were at a standstill. Abby, desperately trying to box Clarke back into what she used to be. Clarke, clawing her way out of it to be who she had become. She wasn’t soft like she used to be, a fact she couldn’t change now so she didn’t think about the implications it had on her. The difference was deeper than the cuts and bruises that decorated her, the knots in her hair. It hung in the weight of what she carried, regardless of who was Chancellor or on the Council.

The day they’d been sent to die, and then the day that she and Bellamy had chosen to lead together, defined them. It split Clarke into a past and present version, and she wouldn’t be able to return to that old self if she even wanted to. 

Clarke became aware of Bellamy continuing, suggesting instead that they go out in search of Finn and Murphy. She nodded encouragingly as he reminded Abby that they knew the terrain. It made more sense than anything else, especially if there weren’t other guards to send out. As if any of them were better shots than Bellamy anyway.

But Clarke’s internal recognition of who she used to be and who she was appeared to be was something Abby had also come to a decision to.

“No, absolutely not,” her mom snapped.

“Mom.”

“I just got you back!” Abby’s voice was raised and sharp as she swung back to look from Bellamy to Clarke.

So she had decided that she would only see Clarke as she once had been. 

The tension in the room was unbearable and she wanted to shout at her mom. To tell her to not let personal feelings blind her to what they needed to do. They couldn’t afford that, not with so many of their people still in the Mountain.

But she didn’t get the chance to though as Jackson suddenly appeared, drawing Abby’s attention back to medical. But not before she declared that no one was allowed to leave camp. Clarke almost wanted to stomp her foot in retaliation, a fitting reaction to go up against the feeling of being grounded like a child as punishment. 

Instead she didn’t, watching as her mom gave them withering stares of distrust before leaving the hallway. 

Bellamy turned to look at her but she shook her head gently, not in the mood to figure out what was their next step quite yet. She felt like her throat had closed up while standing in here, her very self shoved back into a box she didn’t fit into anymore. 

The fresh, evening air hit her as she stormed outside and she gulped it in. Closing her eyes, she tried to balance herself. Her breath was unsteady even when she opened them again, glancing around her. A few people looked at her curiously and she very decidedly did  _ not _ want people staring at her. 

There were too many guards patrolling around for Clarke to feel like she could completely get away, but she did her best. Finding a grassy spot that was just raised above the rest of the ground, she made her way to the top and let her legs hang over the sharp side of the rocky ground. The Goliath of a structure from the remains of the Ark loomed behind her, but if she kept herself facing forward, she could ignore it and only see the nature that lay before her. That was the Earth she was used to. Not whatever this was becoming.

If Clarke admitted it to herself, the precedent being set through all of this was starting to scare her. Being on the ground had been a fresh start for them and ever since Anya had been shot, it felt like a spiral back to what it used to be. 

Her thoughts strayed to Finn and Murphy as well. Weeks ago maybe she wouldn’t have been as worried, even with Murphy. But since everything had changed with the arrival of the Mountain Men, it felt like chaos was taking over. People were doing drastic things for loved ones and she didn’t want to think about what the two could get themselves into.

Finn had always been the one to be afraid of guns.

That thought echoed in her mind at the panic Bellamy had shown in his face when he had realized that the two were still out there looking for her.

She didn’t know what he was capable of. 

Her musings were broken by more footsteps behind her. Still twitchy from well… everything since landing on Earth, Clarke jerked around to see who was there. She’d have expected it to be Bellamy again or maybe Raven. But instead it was Anya. 

With a limp mirroring Raven’s, Anya gave Clarke a rueful smile as she caught her glancing at the injury with concern.

“I’m surprised they let you out of their sight.”

“I could say the same thing,” Clarke responded dryly, watching as Anya gingerly got into a seated position next to Clarke. 

She shrugged. “I think they’ve finally realized I’m not a threat at the moment. Your mother did a fine job stitching me up, but she knows I couldn’t run away if I tried to.”

“Would you run away?”

_ A beat _ .

“No – I am not a coward, I won’t try to hide or get myself killed. I’ll go when I can and pass your message along to our Commander. If I come in like a scared rabbit, she’ll never agree.”

Clarke nodded, processing what she had said. 

“So you’re not going to need me as a prize for your people anymore? You’ll get them to help us?” She tried to not sound too hopeful but she couldn’t help it.

Anya’s grin grew wolfish as she let out a small laugh. Clarke was pretty sure it was the first one she had ever heard from her. It was rough, almost as if it wasn’t something that she did very often. She wondered if she had many friends back with Trikru. 

“I think actually being able to take down the Mountain Men and the Reapers after all of this time is reward enough.”

“Neither of us started this war against them, but we can end it together,” Clarke said with a quiet confidence.

The two sat silently for a moment after Clarke’s statement, Anya’s eyes glancing over at her from time to time. 

“You know it’s your fault I ended up in the Mountain,” Anya added drily.

Clarke let out a snort, rolling her eyes. “Please. If you hadn’t shown up to attack us, you wouldn’t have been there. Plus,” she cocked her head towards her, “I’m the one who got you out of there.”

Anya grunted in a reluctant admission of the truth. It was such a moment of stubborness, that was still somehow rooted in a surprising banter, Clarke couldn’t help a small smile. 

They settled back into more silence. She wasn’t sure why Anya was still sitting with her, though sitting alone in a cell hardly seemed like a positive alternative. Any other day she would have bet that the woman would have considered it compared to actually sitting beside her, but today was different. After escaping the Mountain and proving their own strength to each other, it felt different. 

Clarke wondered what the Commander was like, unable to piece together anything from the brief comments she’d heard about her. Glancing at Anya then, she wondered what being the second to her would have been like. She was proud of what she and Bellamy had accomplished since landing here, but even as much as she resented not being involved anymore, she still had a kernel of doubt within her. They had done well, but what if she had been given proper guidance? What could she have had the opportunity to learn under someone like Anya?

She wouldn’t ever trade how she had grown up, but being thrust into this new world was enough to make her yearn for a support system that not only saw her as a leader, but helped her become a better one. Not just the delinquents who leaned on her, and Bellamy who was learning the same time as her. 

“You’re the only one who doesn’t treat me like a child,” Clarke blurted out. She instantly wished she could pull the words back into her, but it was too late.

Anya almost didn’t even react to her statement, her gaze still steadily focused ahead of them. She didn’t even move and maybe Clarke had dreamt saying it. But then Anya gave her a non-commital shrug and cleared her throat. 

“You’re almost the same age as our Commander. Our culture doesn’t hide away our youth from being a part of leadership, of making hard decisions. That day you stood across from me on the bridge,” she turned to Clarke finally at that, “I developed a begrudging respect for you.”

At the slight, widening of Clarke’s eyes, Anya’s narrowed.

“Don’t get too caught up in yourself. You’re still too naive and you started a war. You’re not prepared for this. I refuse to apologize for any of my past behavior. But unlike it seems, the other Sky People you have an understanding of what it takes. I can respect that, as much as I have fought against you.” 

The woman’s words washed over Clarke and she found herself struggling to know how to respond. Anya gave her a curling smile at that, easing the way Clarke had begun to bristle at the warrior’s words. 

“There’s not another person in this camp who could have convinced me to seek out an audience with the Commander and promise my support. I’ll give you that.” Her eyes settled on Clarke and for the first time since sitting down, angled her body to face her. “Why do they treat you like a child?”

“I don’t know. I know I am one, but I haven’t felt like one since I was sent to Earth. Since I was sent here to die. I know they were a bunch of delinquents, but Bellamy and I lead them. We helped keep almost all of them alive. And then they come down and everything’s different. We’re children again. Except we’re not, we haven’t been and we can’t change what we’ve seen. What we’ve done. But they won’t listen to us.”

The words kept coming as Clarke talks, the anger she had been feeling build up inside her taking over. 

When she finally stopped, her chest heaving from getting caught up in her rant, she looked over at Anya to gauge her reaction. As usual, she was almost impossible to read.

She was about to open her mouth, maybe to apologize or ask for more concrete advice on moving forward, when the crunch of dirt behind them drew her attention. Major Byrne had appeared, her lips pressed tightly and one hand cautiously hovering near her gun. 

“I’m going to need you to come back with me now, Council’s orders.” Byrne’s voice was stiff with professionalism and Clarke nearly rolled her eyes.

Anya gave the major a long stare before sighing and pushing herself back up to a standing position. Even being unarmed, she gave off such an intimidating aura that Byrne still flinched.

“You too Clarke, your mom wants you back in for the night,” she said.

“I’ll be in soon, I don’t need a babysitter while I’m still on the grounds,” Clarke retorted. Byrne sighed but seemingly acquiesced as she just simply turned to help guide Anya back to her cell. She nearly bumped into the Grounder warrior though as Anya halted suddenly, turning back to Clarke. Her eyes were piercing and Clarke felt like she was being studied.

“Can I give you some advice?”

An unexpected question that threw her off, Clarke jerkingly nodded her head. Anya waited a moment, continue to stare at her seriously before continuing. 

“Remind them who is in charge around here,” she said, a slow smirk appearing on her face.

That ruffled Major Byrne’s feathers, who immediately grumbled something and moved to physically usher Anya back in. Shaking her off, Anya glared that major and gave a nod to Clarke before striding back towards the compound, her limp almost unnoticeable in her confidence. 

That wasn’t what she thought would be her piece of advice for her. 

Clarke looked back away, giving a half-hearted wave to Byrne as she looked back to let her know she’d be inside soon. Today’s sunset was beginning to form, the sun’s edge simmering against the edge of the mountain peaks where they met the sky. A cloudless day, the sky had melted into a softer blue that was tinged with a fiery pink around the horizon, as a deep purple was pulled across the sky behind her. It would be a clear night, cool but not impossible to navigate. 

And that was what Clarke was focused on, as beautiful as the sunset was. 

It was bringing the cover of night with it. 

The dying sun illuminated an idea in her mind, only taking seconds to form.

Her mind made up, a smirk for no one else but herself appeared on her face before jumping to her feet. Shaking off Byrne was easy enough once it was clear she wasn’t about to go yell at her mom or the council anymore, nor did she head towards the cells for Anya. In another world she would have tried to rescue her for the second time in less than 48 hours, but she had a mission to accomplish. Anya’s word in support of the Sky People would mean nothing if Finn and Murphy got themselves into trouble with the Grounders. 

She knew she wasn’t the only one who believed that though.

She found him leaving the mess hall, his boots hitting the ground with a thud as he seemed to walk while lost in thought. Messy curls that mirrored her own exasperation at everything going on around them that was out of their control. 

“Bellamy!” Clarke called out, chasing after him.

He spun on his feet, nodding in greeting and crossing his arms over his chest as she caught up to him. He had a crooked grin on his face as he looked down at her. 

“You have that look on your face that you get right before you come up with a really good, if not dangerous idea,” he teased, his voice rough as he looked at her awaiting her plan. 

They were always in sync with each other, even now after being separated. It felt like the Drop Ship days again, post their reconciliation. Maybe that was why the Council had pushed to keep them out of the meetings – they worked too well together. It would be a threat to the people that assumed they were in charge.

Clarke cocked her head, stepping back into her authoritative role that she had grown into since landing on the ground. 

“I’m going to talk to Raven and Octavia, get their help in getting us out of here tonight. We’re going after Finn and Murphy. And we’re going to need guns.”


End file.
